1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and products for making consumable liquids, and methods of making and using such apparatus, products and liquids. In another aspect, the present invention relates to apparatus and products for brewing such consumable liquids, and methods of making and using such apparatus, products and consumable liquids. In even another aspect, the present invention relates to apparatus and products for brewing such consumable liquids by contacting a heated liquid with solid, semi-solid, syrup or gel material, and methods of making and using such apparatus, products and consumable liquids. In still another aspect, the present invention relates to apparatus and products for brewing consumable liquids such as coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, herbal drinks, bullion, consume, medicinal drinks, vitamin drinks, supplement drinks, dehydrated drinks, and methods of making and using such apparatus, products and beverages. In yet another aspect, the present invention relates to disposable or reusable apparatus and products for brewing consumable liquids, and methods of making and using such apparatus. In even still another aspect, the present invention relates to disposable or reusable apparatus that may be loaded/reloaded with solids, semi-solids, syrups, and gels, for brewing consumable liquids, and methods of making and using such apparatus. In even yet another aspect, the present invention relates to disposable or reusable apparatus and methods, that may be loaded/reloaded with coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, herbs, spices, inhalant, seeds, berries, nuts, beans, hulls, shells, husks, vegetable matter, leaves, roots, bullion, consume, medicine, vitamins, supplements, drink powder, for brewing consumable liquids, and methods of making and using such apparatus. In even yet another aspect, the present invention relates to disposable or reusable apparatus with a variable or adjustable tamper that is used to control the steeping or brew time.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In the making of coffee, heated water is contacted with ground coffee to form a coffee beverage which may be consumed hot or cold.
As coffee is quite a historic drink, there is also a long history of development of various apparatus and methods for preparing coffee. Drip brewing is a method for brewing coffee which involves passing water over roasted, ground coffee beans contained in a filter. The water is generally gravity feed through the coffee, absorbing its oils and essences, and then on through the bottom of the filter. The used coffee grounds are retained in the filter with the liquid falling (dripping) into a collecting vessel such as a carafe or pot.
Very commonly, paper filters are commonly used for drip brew all over the world. For ease of operation, the used grounds and the filter are generally disposed of together, without a need to clean the filter, or with very little cleaning required. It is also common to see metal filter that are made of thin perforated metal sheets that restrain the grounds but allow the coffee to pass, thus eliminating the need to have to purchase separate filters. Additionally, many machines now use permanent plastic filters, which are made of a fine mesh.
There also exist small, portable, single serving drip brew makers that only hold the filter and rest on top of a cup. Hot water is poured in and drips directly into the cup.
A very popular item is the single-serving unit containing sufficient ground coffee, tea or other beverage material to produce a single cup of the contained beverage. In operation, this single-serving unit is inserted into a machine, with a cup placed under a discharge spout, and within a short period of time, the beverage is ready.
This type of single serving brewing machine operates by piercing the seal on top of the single serving container with a spray nozzle, while simultaneously piercing the bottom of the container with a discharge nozzle. The coffee grounds sit on a filter within the container, which filter is not punctured. The spray nozzle introduces water into the container, with the water passing through the grounds and through the filter into the waiting cup.
There are a number of patents that relate making coffee, specifically to beverage cartridges, the following of which are merely a small sampling.
U.S. Pat. No. D637,484, issued May 10, 2011, to Winkler, discloses an ornamental design for a beverage cartridge, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. D502,362, issued on Mar. 1, 2005, to Lazaris et al, discloses an ornamental design for a disposable beverage filter cartridge, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,600, issued on Mar. 23, 2004, to Winkler et al, discloses the puncturing and venting of single serve beverage filter cartridge. A liquid inlet probe for piercing the lid of a beverage filter cartridge comprises a cylindrical inner hub surrounded by an enlarged diameter outer sleeve. Support ribs extend radially between and coact with the exterior of the hub and the interior of the sleeve to define a plurality of liquid supply passages. The hub, ribs and sleeve having bevelled lower ends arranged in a truncated conical alignment converging towards the center of the probe to a pointed end projecting downwardly from its lower end.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,989, issued on Dec. 9, 2003, to Sweeney et al, discloses are-usable beverage filter cartridge for use in a single serve beverage brewer in which a measured charge of a dry beverage medium is infused with a metered amount of heated liquid to produce a beverage medium. The reusable beverage filter cartridge is provided for containing the beverage medium and for accommodating an inflow of the heated liquid and an outflow of the beverage medium. The cartridge comprises a cup-shaped housing having a top opening and a closed bottom with an outlet port. A filter internally subdivides the housing into a first chamber accessible via the top opening and configured and dimensioned to contain the beverage medium, and a second chamber communicating with the outlet port. A lid is removably secured to the housing in a position closing the top opening, and an inlet port in the lid serves to admit heated liquid into the first chamber for infusion with the beverage medium contained therein. The filter is permeable to accommodate a flow therethrough of the resulting beverage into the second chamber from which it exits via the outlet port.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,537, issued on Nov. 11, 2003, to Sweeney et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge that includes a cup-shaped outer container with a bottom and a side wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall to a circular rim surrounding an upper opening. The side wall has an upper section extending downwardly from the rim to an intermediate section, and a tapered lower section configured to provide a plurality of circumferentially spaced flutes extending downwardly from the intermediate section to the bottom wall. A filter element subdivides the interior of the container into first and second chambers. A beverage medium is stored in the first chamber. A cover is joined to the side wall at the rim to close the upper opening. The cover is yieldably piercable to accommodate an injection of liquid into the first chamber for combination with the beverage medium to produce a beverage. The filter element is permeable to accommodate a flow of the beverage from the first chamber into the second chamber, and the bottom wall is yieldably piercable to accommodate an outflow of the beverage from the second chamber to the exterior of the cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,762, issued on Aug. 19, 2003 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,577, issued on Jul. 8, 2003, to Lazaris et al, both disclose a disposable single serve beverage filter cartridge comprising an outer container with an access opening. A filter element is received in and configured and arranged to subdivide the interior of the container into first and second chambers. A beverage medium is stored in the first chamber. A lid closes the access opening. The lid has a first section overlying the first chamber and a second section overlying the second chamber. The first section of the lid is yieldably piercable to accommodate an inflow of liquid into the first chamber for infusion with the beverage medium to produce a beverage. The filter element is permeable to accommodate a flow of the beverage from the first chamber into the second chamber, and the second section of the lid is yieldably piercable to accommodate an outflow of the beverage from the second chamber to the exterior of the cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,606,938, issued on Aug. 19, 2003, to Taylor, discloses a two step puncturing and venting of single serve filter cartridge in a beverage brewer. In a method and apparatus for brewing a beverage from a dry beverage medium contained in a disposable cartridge, the cartridge is initially pierced and vented by a tubular outlet probe, and then pierced by a tubular inlet probe. Heated liquid is admitted to the cartridge interior via the inlet probe for combination with the beverage medium to produce a beverage, and the beverage is extracted from the cartridge via the outlet probe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,189, issued on Nov. 24, 1998, to Sylvan et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge that includes an impermeable yieldably pierceable base having a predetermined shape and an access opening at one end. A self-supporting wettable filter element is disposed in the base and is permanently sealed to an interior surface of the base. The filter element subdivides the base into first and second chambers, a first chamber for storing an extract of the beverage to be made, and a second empty chamber for accessing the beverage after the beverage outflow from the filter has been made by combining a liquid with the extract. An impermeable, yieldably pierceable, imperforate cover is sealingly engaged with the top of the base to form an impermeable cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,765, issued on Jul. 5, 1994, to Sylvan et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge that includes an impermeable pierceable base having a predetermined shape and an opening at one end; a self-supporting wettable filter element disposed in the base sealingly engages with the opening in the base and has a form different and smaller than the predetermined shape of the base so that the filter element diverges from the base and divides the base into two sealed chambers, a first chamber for storing an extract of the beverage to be made, and a second empty chamber for accessing the beverage after the beverage outflow from the filter has been made by combining a liquid with the extract; and an impermeable pierceable cover sealingly engaged with the opening in the base to form an impermeable cartridge.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,640,845, issued Jan. 5, 2010, Woodnorth, et al., discloses a drain for beverage forming machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,523,695, issued Apr. 28, 2009, to Streeter et al, discloses a system for dispensing metered volumes of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,192, issued Apr. 7, 2009, to Sullivan et al, discloses a beverage forming device with opening/closing mechanism for a beverage cartridge receiver
U.S. Pat. No. 7,398,726, issued on Jul. 15, 2008, to Streeter et al, discloses a system for dispensing metered volumes of heated water to the brew chamber of a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,377,162, issued on May 27, 2008, to Lazaris, discloses a method and apparatus for liquid level sensing.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,360,418, issued on Apr. 22, 2008, to Pelovitz, discloses a method and apparatus for sensing liquid level using baseline characteristic.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,138, issued on Mar. 25, 2008, to Bragg et al, discloses a brew chamber for a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. D544,299, issued on Jun. 12, 2007, to Schaffeld et al, discloses an ornamental design for coffee brewer, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,488, issued on Jan. 23, 2007, to Bragg et al, discloses a brew chamber for a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. D513,572, issued on Jan. 17, 2006, to Schaffeld et al, discloses an ornamental design for a coffee brewer, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. D489,215, issued on May 4, 2004, to Honan et al, discloses a coffee brewer. The ornamental design for a coffee brewer, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,200, issued on Jan. 6, 2004, to Duffy et al, discloses a system for monitoring and controlling the operation of a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,130, issued on Dec. 23, 2003, to Taylor et al, discloses a baffle operated liquid heating and dispensing system for a single serve beverage brewer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,655,260, issued on Dec. 2, 2003, to Lazaris et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge holder.
U.S. Pat. No. D474,111, issued on May 6, 2003, to Lazaris, discloses an ornamental design for a cup shaped container, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. D474,110, issued on May 6, 2003, to Sweeney, discloses an ornamental design for a cup shaped container, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. D462,865, issued on Sep. 17, 2002, to Honan et al, discloses an ornamental design for a coffee brewer, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,256, issued on Aug. 27, 2002, to Gordon et al, discloses a method of forming and inserting filter elements in cup-shaped containers.
U.S. Pat. No. D452,434, issued on Dec. 25, 2001, to Sweeney, discloses an ornamental design for a cup shaped container, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. D452,433, issued on Dec. 25, 2001, to Lazaris, discloses an ornamental design for a cup shaped container, as shown and described.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,554, issued on Feb. 6, 2001, to Beaulieu et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,063, issued on Nov. 7, 2000, to Beaulieu, discloses a automated beverage brewing system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,247, issued on Jul. 4, 2000, to Beaulicu, discloses an apparatus for consecutively dispensing an equal volume of liquid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,315, issued on Jun. 27, 2000, to Beaulieu et al, discloses a beverage filter cartridge holder.
U.S. Pat. No. D408,679, issued on Apr. 27, 1999, to Potts et al, discloses an ornamental design for a coffee brewer, as shown and described.
Other recent patents/publications include:
U.S. Pat. No. 8,720,320, issued May 13, 2014, to Rivera, discloses a pod adaptor assembly for use in combination with a single serve beverage brewer is provided. The assembly is especially designed for brewing pods in brewers configured for cup-shaped beverage extract cartridges. The assembly includes a receptacle and a cover configured to sealingly engage with the receptacle. The receptacle has a base with a raised portion which is adapted to provide a support surface for a pod. The base of the receptacle also provides an opening adapted to receive an upwardly extending puncture needle from the brewer in a manner such that the needle extends through the base and does not puncture the pod. The cover also has an opening that is adapted to receive a downwardly extending liquid injector probe from the brewer. In some implementations, spaced apart protrusions are arranged on the pod support surface thereby creating gaps to facilitate flow of brewed beverage. In other implementations, the assembly also includes a spring bias mechanism adapted to press the pod against the cover so as to create a tamping effect.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 20130017303, published Jan. 17, 2013 by Robert Vu discloses a brewing container for use with brewing machines, the container including a distribution outlet for dispersing the injected water in at least 3 directions away from vertical within the cartridge.
However, in spite of the above advancements, there exists a need in the beverage brewing art for products, apparatus and methods for brewing coffee and other consumable liquids.
There also exists a need in the beverage brewing art for reusable products, apparatus and methods for brewing coffee and other consumable liquids.
There even also exists a need in the beverage brewing art for products, apparatus and methods for more efficiently brewing coffee and other consumable liquids.
There still also exists a need in the beverage brewing art for products, apparatus and methods for more efficiently brewing coffee and other consumable liquids, in which the steeping time or the brewing strength can be varied.
There still also exists a need in the beverage brewing art for products, apparatus and methods for more efficiently brewing coffee and other consumable liquids, in which the tamping of the brewed material can be varied and/or controlled.
There yet also exists a need in the beverage brewing art for brewing containers for use in brewing machines that may be empty or pre-loaded with brewing material and/or refillable, brewing brewing machines utilizing such brewing containers, methods of making and using such brewing machines and containers.
These and other needs in the art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon review of this specification, including its drawings and claims.